Re: events /weddings : new media to distribute USB sticks: is the future?
 

We should, if you have a couple that only has a dvd player, is not interested in getting anything else and just wants to pop in a dvd because she knows that works, then that is what we should supply, but we should give them a HD file anyway, she will be gratefull one day when she figures out it is a much higher quality image of her wedding.

Ok, but should that determine the qualitylevel we supply? maybe in a few years 8K is the standard but let's still deliver a simple dvd because we don't want to make it too difficult for the couple? If I have a client that tells me, "I don't care if it is a lower quality, just give me a dvd", only then I will supply them just that

So you think that brides want lower quality standard definition and not HD? Even if it would cost them the same amount?

That's because they don't know any better, if you don't show them the difference then they always will be happy.

I think you underestimate the power of a well edited 5 minute trailer with all the highlights, the longer a film gets, the less it will be watched, make a 2 hour film and it will be watched once by the family and their closest friends after the wedding and maybe once a year by the couple, put a 5 minute trailer online and it will be watched over a 1000 times by 1000 different people in a few days time, the bride will watch that trailer over and over again because it will give her that feeling again of her wedding day in just a few minutes. Even the amount of space it takes on a mobile phone is negligible, those files can be very small. Every wedding I have this year the bride asked for a trailer, why? Because they have seen the trailers on my website and tell me they have watched it several times, and it's not even their own wedding. In that respect I have learned to know my clients very well and know exactly what a bride wants. A nice packaging is preferred but all that matters is what is inside and there is no excuse for delivering a low imagequality video.

Re: events /weddings : new media to distribute USB sticks: is the future?
 

The trouble with the rapid advance in image quality, is that the prime purpose is not to improve our viewing comfort, but to convince us that we need to spend more money on the latest technology to keep the manufacturers profits going.

That then results in a total lack of compatibility or even availability in delivery systems. We are discussing here how to deliver HD video to our clients instead of SD yet manufacturers are trying to get everybody to buy 4k TVs and cameras. If we are struggling to deliver HD to clients after years of filming in HD, how the hell do we deliver 4k when there is nothing to play it on let alone the looming prospect of 8k? It is technology for it's own sake, rather than to fulfil a public demand. I for one am perfectly happy to watch a broadcast programme or DVD in SD without being concerned about the quality and so are my wedding clients.

I have decided to deliver DVDs and one USB HD to every client simply so that they have a possibility of viewing something approaching the quality I film in. Whether they are able to play it or not is a problem for them and the manufacturers and is something that I am careful to point out to them. I always advise them on playing possibilities, but that is where my responsibility ends. I find it highly frustrating trying to push the manufacturers desire for ever higher quality when there is little support back on how to deliver that quality.

Chris's LCD book has instant appeal to Brides and is something I have looked at closely, but it is packaging limited quality in a more attractive alternative, rather than moving the quality forward.

Roger

Re: events /weddings : new media to distribute USB sticks: is the future?
 

I agree few couples pixel peep; I say couples as its often forgotten the Groom does have some say and it is his video too. I find chatting to the Groom they're more interested in tech than the Bride.

I do think many couples just do not realise the quality of SD vs HD. To be honest its more apparent on my 4k screen than it was on my hd tv. SD looks awful on my new TV to the point i now hate watching any of my DVDs, which wasn't an issue on my old tele. Will future TVs make DVD redundant. Quite possible. It is a few years away however.

Right now I'm still supplying DVD as an option, but the number of bluray and USB requests are showing a coming trend for the latter over the former. As Noa suggests, we need to educate couples who are unaware of the difference. Some may even think they're getting hd with a DVD. How many couples chose video cassettes for their Wedding video delivery after dvd became available and now regret their decision with their video player long gone.

Re: events /weddings : new media to distribute USB sticks: is the future?
 

You are making a good point here, I don't think we are struggling to deliver HD, there is no reason whatsoever not to deliver in HD today, we only need to explain to our clients why they need HD, it's just a mindset that needs to be changed. We live in a time now where big led tv's, tablets, smartphone and the internet are the norm and we as videographers need to exploit that as much as we can. For a client it's only a very small step to go into the HD arena, 4K otoh is something we should not worry about, yet, but only use it to our advantage, but HD is here now, easy to watch, to deliver and to sell, why waste more time on dvd's? The only reason why still so many clients are ok with dvd's is because some of us videographers are ok with that too.

When I watch my wedding on dvd and after that on blu-ray I just hate to give a dvd to my clients, anyone who doesn't see a difference between a dvd and a blu-ray on a big led screen has either a SD camera or needs some glasses :)

Re: events /weddings : new media to distribute USB sticks: is the future?
 

You know as a videographer, I'm just as guilty of my clients of keeping DVD alive. A DVD disk is cheap, relatively easy to produce and rarely gets playback complaints from clients. USB of course has many issues with TV playback and even bluray has had problems for me from couples unable to play such disks on PlayStation devices.

That doesn't change that DVD as a video delivery is a poooor choice and would be apparent to most couples if time was taken to show the difference. They pay me to film HD and get a crappy SD picture in return.

Re: events /weddings : new media to distribute USB sticks: is the future?
 

All good points Steve and I do agree that as we produce HD edits it would be better to deliver in HD, but although I agree with Noa that HD is comparatively easy to deliver, that is where the problems start. The incompatibility between types of BluRay, players and formats, the inability of many TVs to play USB and no standard delivery system, just confuses clients and compounds the problems. At least with DVD it had been the only format that gave a massive improvement over VHS quality, became universally accepted, and is still the only format that just about everyone can play.

We are now in an era where any good technical ideas are immediately protected and available only through expensive licensing to other manufacturers. That means that all the main manufacturers want to develop and license their own product which is why we have so much incompatibility and no incentive for all companies to adopt the same platform. At least with VHS, the film industry saw the massive potential market in video hire and it took off globally, with DVD following along. Now the BluRay market is much more limited globally and streaming is taking the place of video hire. Streaming for small businesses like ours though is a difficult technology to commit to and is far from universal as a delivery and viewing format. It also takes away the value of the client having something tangible to own for the large amount of money they pay for their wedding video. I can see a client thinking ' Why am I paying hundreds or thousands of pounds/dollars to download my wedding video, when the latest blockbuster costs virtually nothing to stream compared!'

It's a conundrum that's likely to be around for a while.

Roger

Re: events /weddings : new media to distribute USB sticks: is the future?
 

But that blockbuster could be streamed by a million people, if each only had to pay 1 dollar per view I wouldn"t mind charging that for my wedding videos either, if I had the same amount of people watching it. :)

Re: events /weddings : new media to distribute USB sticks: is the future?
 

I'm trying to recall if there were 2 disk formats battling it out at the beginning. Certainly there was for bluray as I recall my laptop did the ROM version which failed to win the battle.

DVD was a success because it took up less space than video, was similar to CD in appearance at least and avoided tape jam problems that were rare but memorable with video cassette. That said recorded TV to DVD never took off and its things like Sky + that really replaced the video recorder. If dvd is to die, something similar would be needed for hd and 4k. Its out there but limitations like internet speed still count against it, plus the format wars.

Something like a hard drive controlled through the TV, with an idiot proof interface would be one idea, online storage too. Trouble is we are on the threshold of a decent breakthrough in hd and 4k playback. It needs a dominent format that appeals to the masses.
No one but movie buffs are going to replace 1 shiny disk for another even if it means getting hd, but give them a new medium which requires no shelf space and is as easy to use as DVD, then HD and even dare I say 4k would have a better chance of acceptance than it does now.

Re: events /weddings : new media to distribute USB sticks: is the future?
 

How about taking the mobile phone to the next level, where it becomes the media player for the wedding video for viewing anywhere, and like a lot of phones now you can stream it by wifi to your smart TV for viewing at full screen full HD. It seems that we are pretty much there now, and It shouldn't be that long before all phones and TVs are compatible along the lines of Apple TV .

Roger

Re: events /weddings : new media to distribute USB sticks: is the future?
 

I have some issues with the value perception of a streaming delivery as well. I just seems your product gets taken down a notch when you deliver to the web instead of physical media. Kind of like it does get compared to the $1 download.

Re: events /weddings : new media to distribute USB sticks: is the future?
 

But you could make a website for the client with their trailer on the frontpage with the possibility to add comments, maybe with a facebook plugin, and a way to download the trailer and the full version with a password protection? Should be fairly easy to make with a wordpress template.

Re: events /weddings : new media to distribute USB sticks: is the future?
 

As long as they pay you. :) I do not shoot weddings so I am coming at this from a different point of view though.

Re: events /weddings : new media to distribute USB sticks: is the future?
 

Tim, I'm not sure what point of view you're coming from; if shooting video is just a money earner, a job to pay the bills and not an interest beyond that. You'll find some in the Wedding industry that'll share such an approach and I suppose I can't fault them that. It is a business first after all. However if earning hard cash was my only concern, I'd have stuck with my old job; similar money, lot better hours and a lot less work. I came to Wedding Videography because I wanted a job that meant something to me, a job I cared about, a job I was proud of doing. Yes I need it to pay its way, but I also want to feel passionate about what I do, otherwise frankly I wouldn't do it.

When it comes to my work, I want to deliver in the format that best serves what I filmed. I don't care that some may accept less, I want them to receive what their money has paid for - a copy of their video at the resolution it was recorded in. As far as I'm concerned there are too many so called Professionals just using Wedding Videographer as a means to earn a small buck and care less about delivering quality.

I may have to acknowledge that half my clients still want DVD, but as a Video Professional, I certainly don't accept it. DVD is only an accepted delivery because of convenience of playback and because of perceived value over nothing more than a fancy case and something tangible in the hand - a classic case of style over substance. If I'm paid to deliver a top quality professional video, I feel I owe it to my clients to deliver it a such.

Re: events /weddings : new media to distribute USB sticks: is the future?
 

Hi Steve

I don't think we should be comparing commercial work with weddings at all. Weddings are IMO a domestic sale and therefore need a different marketing technique. To the corporate client something like $2000 is a drop in the ocean ! Do the job and supply it to me in the best and most professional format and that is that!

Businessmen don't have to be coaxed with fancy marketing ... they have a vision and want it turned into a video and then they tell the accounts department to pay you.

Unlike the business guy who is perfectly happy to say "send the file to my web developer" ..the same $2000 is a small fortune to a bride so she is far more likely to expect a LOT more for her money. Her "value for money" expectations are way different to someone wanting a web based promo video

Chris

Re: events /weddings : new media to distribute USB sticks: is the future?
 

Not meant to be a dig on wedding videography. I used to do weddings many years ago.

It is great to be passionate, but I do not know how your post relates to digital or web delivery. I hate DVD as well but am not convinced digital solves all of the problems and it probably creates new problems as well.

What if you shoot a show or theatre performance? If you provide USB sticks they are more expensive and do not have any branding or nice feel to them. People are probably more likely to copy them as well.

If you just put your product on the internet, how are you going to receive payment? Do you need a password? What if people misplace the password? Can you ever take the video down as you never gave anything in the first place... And the list goes on.

Most of this does not apply to weddings. That is what I meant.

Re: events /weddings : new media to distribute USB sticks: is the future?
 

Tim, its frustrating to provide DVD as the picture quality is of course inferior to the HD image or in my case 4k, that was captured in camera. Colour isn't always as good. Watching DVD on my 55" 4k screen, the image can at times look out of focus, murky and lacking punch to colour. When you work hard on something, you want it to be seen in the best possible way. Most people can watch at least 720p on the internet, which although not full HD is still better than DVD. The only reason we are supplying DVD is because of easy playback, a lovely little box and the potential extra cash from copies. Its not however because it showcases the video at its very best.

DVD is popular now as video cassettes were in the 90's. Now they're all but gone and in 10 years I don't expect DVD to be quite so prolific. I appreciate right now options for HD delivery are limited, even more so for 4k. Things will change. Its changed in the last 10 years, especially in regards to online video.
If the Wedding video is to be watched just once, then DVD delivery is fine. If however the couple wish to watch it in the future, say 10 years from now, they'd probably be grateful if their videographer had supplied them with their video as HD digital files.

Re: events /weddings : new media to distribute USB sticks: is the future?
 

Steve, it's interesting to see your passion for the quality of the work that you produce and I understand your desire to hand over the best possible quality. I don't disagree at all and now supply a USB with the HD version in addition to the DVDs.

For me though, I realised long ago that the vast majority of couples just want to see a watchable and well put together video of their day and the quality of the video really is secondary to the content. I sometimes think that if I supplied it on VHS they would still love it and not even notice the low res. The number of times that couples praise the quality of the DVD underlines that for me, so content is king and quality is secondary. That doesn't mean that I ignore quality, far from it, which is why I now give a USB, but it is frustrating how little interest is paid to the quality by the client, when I spend so much effort and money trying to achieve it.

I'm sure you are also right about quality being more important to them in the future, so offering both the convenience of DVD and the quality of HD seems a good compromise.

Roger

Re: events /weddings : new media to distribute USB sticks: is the future?
 

Roger, many of my clients share yours in their lack of appreciation for picture quality, but then I feel if couples feedback emphasised camera technique in their praise of my work over comments like, it made me laugh and cry in a good way, I'd have failed to capture the day.

That said a significant number of my clients do pick up picture quality. Especially when I'm liaising with the Groom, about a fifth of my Weddings. Last November I had the Bride complain her main video lacked the quality of the Trailer. I assumed she meant the longer video was slower in pace, but it was the colour grading she was on about. I used film convert for the Trailer but not the full video - takes longer to render. Once I graded the main video, she was happy. A number of clients have asked for bluray or USB after initially saying DVD, but felt in hindsight they wanted an HD copy instead. A couple wanting HQ 4k files as the Groom has a large av system with 90 foot screen. I could give other examples.

Ultimately a little vanity plays a part. I'm sure most movie directors would prefer movies to be seen on the big screen and not just for the sake of money. If you work hard on something, seeing it butchered via an SD conversion feels like vandalism. That said, I'm not crying into my breakfast every morning I produce a DVD. Initial copies are always DVD and whilst all my online videos are now 4k, I'm under no illusion they're being watched that way. Still as online videos from 4 years ago are still being watched usually on anniversaries, I live in hope that one day the couples can see their Trailer at the resolution it was intended.

Re: events /weddings : new media to distribute USB sticks: is the future?
 

Hi Roger

Compared to a corporate client who is more often than not expecting high quality and that's why it's quoted in the job spec, a bride is all about content and playability .. keep in focus, don't screw up the apricot coloured bridesmaid dresses and make them pink, and cover what you say you promised and you have a happy camper!

Apart from content being top of the list, I think ease of playback (even if she watches just once) is a hot second. Brides have shied away from me offering them a media player with the files preloaded probably because it's just too technical ... Let's face it, quality aside, a DVD is a familiar bit of media so that's why they prefer it. I still only give DVD's for the full content and then the highlight video on USB ... I have also moved to USB for photos after brides reported poor IQ on their photos as their DVD player was playing them as a slideshow when I supplied the images on a DVD ... at least with USB they cannot drop it into a DVD player ... that shows really what simple creatures brides are. For me that's enough to supply the simplest playback as possible!

This is probably also why brides couldn't care less which camera you use ..all they want is memories and a simple way to watch the end result.

Chris

Re: events /weddings : new media to distribute USB sticks: is the future?
 

Chris,

The last movie you saw or TV show; have you cared what camera they used, perhaps you gave it some thought as a Videographer, but the majority probably watched said movie and TV show and gave no thought to type of camera, nor to depth of field, jib shots and focus pulls etc. and yet all of this and more play a big part in the language of cinematography and in the style of what we watch on a daily basis. Content is visible, technique should be invisible, but both have their part to play.

I know some balk at progress. I use to work at a University Media Department and suffered a tonne of complaints when Lecturers were told videos cassettes would no longer be supported in favour of DVD. The arguments, the hysterics, even tantrums - one guy stomping his feet in the office. Yet a few years later, these same people were singing the praise of DVD when we moved to online videos via our Portal instead. People are fickle. They accept what they accept because they're use to it. They can if pushed get use to something else. So why not USB?

Re: events /weddings : new media to distribute USB sticks: is the future?
 

The thing is with DVD, just about everyone can sit in front of their TV and with no fuss at al,l just sit down and watch the content. With USB things aren't quite so straightforward, as many TVs, particularly older ones, just won't play them. In addition, DVDs have basically stayed the same for many years, whereas USB drives have constantly evolved though USB 1/2/3 each one offering an improvement in transfer speeds, but only if the playing equipment has the appropriate facility. So giving someone a USB 3 stick when they only have USB 1 playback could be a problem, that's assuming they even know what they have got.

Then there are other factors such as no facility for menus, which could be seen as a backward step and the small size could also be seen as diminishing the value in some people's eyes. I do like the fact that a DVD can be face printed, attractively packaged and presented as a nice personalised shiny disc with perceived value. A USB stick is just a very small piece of electronic gadgetry that just doesn't quite strike the same chord to my mind. We need something that is efficient, attractive and and is exciting to unpack and play in a way that is available to everyone. I think we still have a long way to go to achieve that at HD and beyond quality. Maybe we never will reach the global acceptance that DVD has found and delivery will have to tailored to individual client's playback facilities.

Roger

Re: events /weddings : new media to distribute USB sticks: is the future?
 

I can watch HD via iplayer on my PC, TV and tablet, plus I have a Google Play account with a couple of TV series and movies, many of them HD. These can be viewed via my tablet or via my TV using chromecast. In many ways its better than DVD - more portable, and much easier than bluray, where many disks lose their place if you stop or accidentally switch the thing off rather than pause or just because the player is having a funny five minutes. The only issues I have are variable download speeds and software updates that can cause glitches. Though this is more to do with Google Play. I plan to join Netflix at some point - I have a vast bluray collection and a dwindling DVD collection as blurays replace them, but some movies I've seen only once or very little, so Netflix would work better and that offers 4K, though few can take advantage of it.

So really are we that far off. As for menu; I find them annoying on DVD's and chapter selection is only used to find a place after the DVD has restarted; whereas online video tends to remember where you last stopped viewing - for the most part. :)

There was global acceptance of vinyl records, audio cassettes and video cassettes; how often do you play any of those.

Re: events /weddings : new media to distribute USB sticks: is the future?
 

Hi Steve

I DO notice technique whilst watching TV but I'm pretty sure Bride's would NOT! The biggest thing that catches my eye constantly is the older programs have rock steady cameras (I guess even a tiny wobble was frowned upon with traditional movie making) Nowdays the camera crew seems to have discarded tripods, hoisted the camera on their shoulder and taken over ....the BBC even seems to have taken to using handheld cameras a lot more. Watch any newer drama and keep an eye on the top frame and you can see the guy is using a handheld camera even for big closeups!!

USB certainly should be the future but we still need to get to the stage where people actually know what to do with a USB drive and where to plug it in! They now know what to do with a DVD but I bet hand a USB over to the average person and say "Watch this movie" and they will be lost ... Maybe some education is needed?? A disk is still a familiar object but a USB sadly is not ... especially if the user is not a big computer person. How do we educate brides to show them how great USB's can be???

Chris

Re: events /weddings : new media to distribute USB sticks: is the future?
 

Which was my exact point; technique plays a part in the style and presentation of all TV and Movies and yet is invisible to the ordinary viewer. They don't care what camera and other equipment was used to make said programme, yet the production company will give a great deal of thought to it, as should we in our work.

I've got an appointment with a couple next week; I intend to bring round a USB with a media player, hook it up to their TV via HDMI and show various clips at SD and HD and let them see the difference. It's as simple as that.

Re: events /weddings : new media to distribute USB sticks: is the future?
 

I have not encountered a couple that doesn't know what to do with a usb stick with a video file on it, they all knew they could just plug it into their tv, I could understand if their parents and grandparents are not aware about this but the current ipad and iphone generation are no tech noobs.

I followed a videocourse 10 years ago and our sound teacher explained us what effort went into the sound of the movie "seven", I was stunned to hear about how many layers of sound where used to produce the city sounds in the background. I"m sure a soundguy would be listening to that and hear the subtle differences but in my case I didn't even notice it was there, I just got absorbed by it, I didn't hear those different soundlayers, I felt them while watching the movie in the cinema and it made the experience much more real without knowing why.

Re: events /weddings : new media to distribute USB sticks: is the future?
 

Actually thinking about it, I think I could put together a nice video showing how small an SD image is compared to the 4K I capture. I reduce the size of the picture on screen to 1/16 roughly of the full screen image, so it's a small rectangle in the middle of the screen, then squeeze it to 4:3, increase size to full screen at the now considerably lower resolution and then un-squeeze to fit the 16:9 screen. I can then do a split screen comparison with SD and HD. I'll pick shots with plenty of detail naturally. :)

I also plan to include in this demonstration video, examples of 4K stills and a run through of some of my extras such as Marryoke, Guest Messages - difference methods to film them and examples of same day edit and footage of how it's enjoyed on the day. Will make for a more interactive meeting that my usual just sitting down and chatting about the Wedding.

Re: events /weddings : new media to distribute USB sticks: is the future?
 

There is nothing better than showing a client rather than having to try and explain it to them Steve. That is a good idea ... When I first came across you talking about Marryoke I was interested but not quite sure what you were doing. Then you posted a video and WOW! That made all the difference .... If they can see what the end result is then it saves you trying to tell them what you are trying to achieve and seeing is believing ... The last thing you want is a client imagining something completely different based on your description but saying "Watch this ..this is what you get" all doubt is removed!

Noa, most of my clients have an idea what a USB Thumb Drive is, sure BUT what happens when you get a call "my video won't play on my TV" or "there is no-where for this thing to plug into my IPad" ... I DO supply USB's but it would be easier when all devices have a USB port and all ports play MP4 video. IPads here don't even have a USB!! You can get a little USB adapter cable from Apple but for $200!!!!

At least most know where to put a DVD disk but sometimes I still shake my head when I see them putting a disk in with the printed side down ...!!!

Re: events /weddings : new media to distribute USB sticks: is the future?
 

Every weddingclient of mine got a usb stick with several mp4 files on it last year and not one has contacted me afterwards with problems and many of them had a ipad and matching iphone. I just showed them each time how it worked on my tv to play those files but also told them how a cheap mediaplayer could solve any other playback issues.

Re: events /weddings : new media to distribute USB sticks: is the future?
 

Someone said a long while back that media distribution would be card based but that never happened did it?

I would have thought that TV manufacturers would have got together by now and developed a universal system that all TV's could have where you just pick up a card/memory based media unit and it plugs into all TV's and they all play it! Would that be great? Almost like a USB drive or even a Bigger SD/CF card so you go to the video store, choose a movie and plug the card into the slot on the front and it plays.

I find it strange that some TV's will play MP4's and some wont ..surely electronics are smart enough to do that by now ... shucks my $149 printer accepts SDHC or CF cards with a slot up front so you can print your images and even edit them ... the TV manufacturers seem to have left that option out ... My mates massive TV does have a USB slot but sadly all it can do is play a slideshow and it's less than a year old .. I wonder why they are lagging behind??

Re: events /weddings : new media to distribute USB sticks: is the future?
 

I agree with what both Noa and Steve say about it being quite easy to use a media player to access a USB stick, or some other easily available gadget and I also agree that the end product is better in HD than SD. It still doesn't alter my point though that you can't just hand over a USB stick and expect that clients and their friends and family are universally going to be able to sit down and watch it without some other gadgetry depending on what TV they happen to have. Frequently they can, but often they can't and of course Just because they can get it to work on their own TV doesn't mean that everyone else can. At the moment, DVD is still the most readily accessible Inspite of what the quality may be.



Steve, my comments earlier about content being king rather than quality, had nothing to do with technical ability, only to picture quality. I totally agree that great technique enhances viewing enjoyment even when not noticed when coupled to the content that the client wants to see. Many of the old VHS films had superb filmmaking techniques inspite of the poor picture quality.

Your idea of a 4k versus SD demonstration is a good one for the future, but I think you would struggle to show that to a potential client on their own equipment at the moment.

Roger

Re: events /weddings : new media to distribute USB sticks: is the future?
 

Er, that wasn't the plan. I'm only gonna show them an HD video, but use it to show the size ratio difference between 4K and SD; I could show a picture of coloured squares to demonstrate this, but it's better with video. My real aim is to show just how much you lose when converting for DVD. Many couples just won't have a clue; think of all those that ask if you film in HD and then select DVD as their format choice.

Re: events /weddings : new media to distribute USB sticks: is the future?
 

Aaah now I see where you are going with it. The only drawback I can see to that is that you are are showing them the sweets but not allowing them to eat them. I want it, I want it, - well you can't have it - yet, but you can have this crotchety DVD version.

Roger

Re: events /weddings : new media to distribute USB sticks: is the future?
 

I seriously wonder if they even care? Brides especially I don't care a bit whether it's in XYZ or ABC format ..as long as it's clear and pleasant to the eye ..that's all they worry about so showing them big squares and little squares isn't going to impress the bride ..the groom maybe, but not the bride. She wants to go shopping and you ask her if she wants to go in your V6 4.2litre Chevvy or in the little 4 cylinder Hyundai Elantra ? She doesn't care ..she just wants to go shopping!!

I have had a few grooms ask me what format I film in and what cameras I have but that was a while back when HD was the "in thing" ... Honestly, this season (which has just ended here as it's Winter), I have not been asked any questions by bride or groom regarding cameras, format or resolution and they all booked me!

I just wonder if making a little "explanation" video, as good as it is, about SD/HD is really going to get better sales ?

Chris

Re: events /weddings : new media to distribute USB sticks: is the future?
 

But I'm not selling 4K as a deliverable format now (apart from stills), I'm trying to explain the difference in resolution between what I'm filming and what size a DVD is in relation to it. It shows the vast gulf between capture and delivery if nothing else.

I'm sure some do not, but others may do. I gave a recent example about a Bride who complained her Wedding video didn't look as good as her trailer because that was colour graded with filmconvert and the main video was just corrected for colour. Had I not used filmconvert, no doubt I'd not have had that complaint, but seeing an alternative made her notice the difference.
I'm not saying every Bride will say yay to USB and HD, but at least it'll be an informed choice. Showing side by side comparisons with HD and SD, especially in large group shots and even suggesting how terrible a DVD will look if they ever get a 4K TV will convince some to convert to USB or Bluray.

But it's not about sales, it's about cutting down on DVD delivery. Getting sales is about how I film, being unobtrusive, capturing special moments, multi camera, extras such as Marryoke, same day edit and Guest Messages and the fact that if all else fails, I get down on my hands and knees and beg the couple to book me. :)

There are no doubt some who don't even realise that DVD is not HD; I have one Corporate client who thinks his DVD's are HD and nothing I can say will change that. People can be swayed with a good pitch, but in the end, we're talking about 20-30 seconds on a 4 minute video that outlines my entire service. It's there to explain why I'm offering bluray and USB in my service and the difference each format can give. Obviously the drawbacks of USB will be covered for balance, but as most couples get at least 2 copies, I'll may well get more than 1/3 of my clients asking for USB as one of these copies, once they see the video.

Re: events /weddings : new media to distribute USB sticks: is the future?
 

Fair enough comment Steve

It's definitely all about workflow and spending as little time as practical producing your end product. After all we are running a business and time is money. I still shake my head when I hear about people proudly saying I spent 60 hours editing this wedding ... Ok, that very impressive but since you charged the bride $2000 and spent a total of maybe 80 hours in all producing the end product do you realise you made a mere $25 an hour ?? If you chop your post production to 30 hours instead of 60 your rate jumps to $40 an hour ... I wonder how many video producers actually cost out a wedding?

If USB delivery or even better online delivery can save you time then that's worth doing as it gives you a better profit. I find that rendering to MPEG2 is quicker than rendering to1080 MP4 so for me that's more time holding up the computer and that equals less profit. To be honest I have never actually done a comparison between production time ..from render to end media on either but if one is a faster production method I'm all for it.

The final decision on delivery should still be the bride's choice not ours but if you can show her why she should choose one over the other that's just common sense. Maybe let us have a peek at your video when you make it??

Chris

Re: events /weddings : new media to distribute USB sticks: is the future?
 

My thoughts as well, I feel we should be able to deliver more then just one format and if the bride decides dvd is good enough for her, that's her choice. I do however want to make sure before they make such a decision that they get to see a dvd and a blu-ray copy first so they know dvd is of a lesser quality, I even mention that on my website.

Re: events /weddings : new media to distribute USB sticks: is the future?
 

I take approx 20-35 hours depending on the Wedding. I'm sure with more time I could make a better video, but it's still business 1st, art 2nd. I tend to give more time per second of footage to my Trailer, but then it has a wider distribution. Even so, I'm sure a better product could be made if I gave it more time, but I'd have to charge a lot more and do a lot less Weddings to make that viable.

Rendering is done over night when I'm asleep, when I'm filming, when I'm watching the tele. I have a schedule. Actually my main PC is finishing rendering a video now for DVD, but I can still do some basic editing at the same time. It does slow the PC and I'll pause the render if it becomes an issue then when I need to pop out in a bit to go to the bank, I'll continue the render.

For me, DVD takes more work creating the disks - DVD cover, disk covers, menus, checking the disk for errors; whereas for me USB is just copying files to the device and playing a sample of each video. So it's extra time of work vs extra time rendering when I'd not be working anyway. That said, most couples will have a DVD anyway even if they choose USB. So I'm not putting a stop to DVD for my clients, just trying to sell digital files on USB as an HD deliverable format that will also serve as a backup in case their DVD gets damaged and if or even when DVD as a format has its day.

Re: events /weddings : new media to distribute USB sticks: is the future?
 

A 90 minute video takes about 4 hours to render to MPEG 2 then to DVD on my system. It then takes about 8 minutes to make each extra copy. Sleeve design using a standard template and adding new text and photos takes about 15 minutes plus 1 minute to print. Label design about 5 minutes and also about 1 minute to print.

The same video to MP4 takes around 6 hours to render, but needs to be done as separate files, not to exceed the 4gb limit. That means I can't leave it to run when I go to bed, an inconvenience but not a game killer. The USB sticks cost about 75 times the price of a DVD, plus they need a presentation box which is about 15 times a DVD case cost. I put the files onto USB 2 drives, which take longer to transfer, so each one takes about 45 minutes to transfer files to. There are faster drives available, but then they cost considerably more and compared with DVD, they take a big lump of profit unless you charge a lot more for them. Because of the length of a full day video, a 32gb USB is really essential to be sure of getting everything on, so costs are much higher and production time much longer than for a few minutes of highlights.

I had a recent wedding where I was asked for 14 USB copies. The same number of DVDs would have taken about 2 hours including printing and packing as I don't have a multi copier, but the USBs took over 14 hours. I had to sell them for 2 times the DVD price, but in retrospect, if I took the time into consideration I barely broke even.

I offer one USB in the normal package, plus 2 DVDs, but the real cost of USB copying and the material costs, makes extra copies difficult to price at a level that will make them attractive at the moment.

Roger

Re: events /weddings : new media to distribute USB sticks: is the future?
 

That long?? I have a i7 3770 pc with edius and edius uses the onboard gpu for mp4 render acceleration, if I edit in a 10180p project both to dvd and to mp4 is about twice realtime, so 45 minutes each in case of a 90 minute video, how old is your pc that you get so long rendertimes?

Re: events /weddings : new media to distribute USB sticks: is the future?
 

I use Edius (7.50) too Noa and love the speed of it as well.